( Avtar Mota outside the Pantheon, Paris)
( At Cafe De Flore, Paris)
( Avtar Mota at the Tomb of Jean-Paul Sartre )
Gurudev was a towering figure of the 20th-century
world literature. He is known for introducing the short story genre to Bengali
literature; moving Indian poetry towards Modernism, and founding the Vishwa
Bharati University. He composed the national anthem of India as well as
Bangladesh apart from contributing to the national anthem of Sri Lanka. Gurudev
was a leading playwright of his era. In addition to his work in poetry, short stories and drama,
Tagore also wrote a total of eight novels and four novellas in his lifetime.
His best-known novels include Chokher Bali, Noukadubi, Gora, Chaturanga, Ghare
Baire, Shesher Kobita, Jogajog and Char Odhyay. Several of these novels and
novellas have been adapted as films, most prominently Chokher Bali and Ghare
Baire. Apart from being a prolific writer, he was also an influential artist
and a musician (Rabindra Sangeet ). His Gitanjali won him the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1913
making him the first Asian Nobel Laureate.
INTEREST IN ART FROM CHILDHOOD
Gurudev
Tagore’s early life was spent in an atmosphere of religion and arts, primarily
literature, music and painting. From his childhood, he was attracted towards
the sketches drawn by his elder brother Jyotirindranath Tagore.
As such, he never had any formal art training. In a way, this lack of
training opened new horizons as far as the use of line and colours are
concerned. Tagore’s art as it developed from initial doodles on manuscripts
into colour paintings. Though Tagore did not paint in his early life, the urges
were manifest in the doodles in his manuscripts. By a certain stage, the
manuscripts were full of doodles, and the poet entered into a painting phase.
His paintings were initially not taken seriously. However, his inclusion in
several exhibitions in Europe in 1930 marked the public acceptance and
appreciation of his art, which also gave Tagore confidence.
Towards
the end of his career, Tagore aged 67, striving to create a universally
accessible art, took up painting more consistently. Around 1928, the artist
made thousands of sketches and drawings using brush, pencil and pen. The artist
developed a style characterised by simple bold forms and a rhythmic quality.
The subjects depicted often involved animals, figures and statuesque women. Over
1500 of them are conserved in Viswa-Bharati, Shantiniketan. Many are held by
the National Gallery of Modern Art in New Delhi. Some are held in museums in
Europe and the US. Tagore was a
proficient painter who used his brush to convey his emotions and thoughts in
vibrant and imaginative ways. Although he didn’t consider himself a
professional artist, Tagore’s innate talent allowed him to express himself
fluently through the medium of visual art, just as he did through his words.
GURUDEV’S LINKS WITH EUROPEAN
ARTISTS
During
my visit to Paris in May 2023, more specifically to some art museums including the Louvre and the Pompidou Centre, I came to know that Gurudev was a great lover
of French culture, art and language. He had many friends in France who were
leading artists, writers and musicians. About his first Impressions of Paris,
Gurudev has written this:-
“We reached Paris in the morning.
What a dazzling city! Looking at the overwhelming bevvy of skyscrapers, one
would think that there were no poor people in Paris. We went to a hotel, and the
arrangements were so lavish that it felt almost embarrassing and uneasy—just as
one feels in oversized clothes. We were left dumbfounded by the abundance of
its memorials, fountains, gardens, palaces, stone-paved streets, vehicles,
horses, and teeming people. Overall, all that I recall is that we saw an
infinite number of beautiful artwork in the Art Gallery, an equally
infinite number of sculptures and statues at the Sculpture Gallery, and so
on.”…. ( source …Memoirs
and letters of Tagore in Translation )
His famous world appearance as a painter in France
in the year 1930 was a great event in the world of European art.. He had also
carried more than 300 paintings and sketches with him which were seen by many
art critics and literary friends of Gurudev in France. Many newspapers
including Le Monde wrote about his
presence in France apart from articles about his creative work. Some art critics who saw his paintings advised him to hold an exhibition in Paris. Accordingly, Gurudev held his first
public and international exhibition of his paintings in Paris in May 1930, at
the Gallerie Pigalle. More than 100 of
his paintings were shown in Paris, and at least half of them at the National
Gallery of Art in Berlin before the exhibition proceeded to London. He also
held exhibitions was in different countries in Europe in the same year. During
his trips, Tagore would accept the invitation of banker and patron of the arts
Albert Kahn, who had set up La Maison Autour du Monde. Tagore spent most of his
time at Kahn’s place near Paris. I also learnt that Gurudev was in touch with
Nobel Laureate Romain Rolland since 1926. They exchanged correspondence wherein
Tagore had long discussions on his art with Romain Rolland. Tagore had
discussions about art with another Nobel Laureate, French poet Saint-John Perse
Returning to India, Gurudev held his
exhibition only in 1931. I was told that Gurudev knew French and translated four
poems of the French romantic poet, Victor Hugo into Bengali. Andrée Karpeles, a painter, also spent a lot
of time in Shantiniketan.
After
the conclusion of the Paris exhibition, exhibitions were held in England, Denmark,
Sweden, Rome, Germany and Russia in Europe. Later exhibitions were also held in the USA and Canada. The exhibition of paintings drew an unprecedented overwhelming
admiration in Germany. It was shown in Berlin, Munich, Hamburg, Dusseldorf, Stuttgart
and other places in Germany. The then-German President and ministers and also
Albert Einstein, the great scientist, attended Tagore’s exhibition.
Tagore
visited Germany thrice - in 1921, 1926 and 1930. He had gifted many paintings
to some museums in Germany which were destroyed by the Nazis. Tagore’s
paintings and sketches fascinated young German students to mass hysteria. Among
them, a student of the Art Academy of Munich Oswald Malura, at the age of 20,
received a Mond travel scholarship from the academy to study Indian art and
philosophy. Malura stayed in India for three years (1929-1932) and visited
Bombay, Agra, Delhi, Kashmir, Benaras, Himalayas, Shantiniketan and Calcutta
and he met Annie Besant, Mahatma Gandhi and poet Tagore. In the 1930s, the US
and Europe had not yet warmed up to Modern Art. When
Tagore was shown in Germany people compared his work to surrealists and
expressionists.
OPENING OF KALA BHAWAN
In protest against the ghastly massacre of hundreds of
innocent Indians at the ‘Jallianwallah Bagh’ by General Dyer, Sir Rabindranath
Tagore returned his title to the British and quietly opened the art wing of his
university called ‘Kala Bhavan’. Opened in 1919, it was designed as a Centre of
Nationalist Art as opposed to the colonial tastes that defined art in India.
It was modelled after the Gurukul or Tapovan system of learning. He had invited like-minded painters like
Nandalal Bose to run Kala Bhavan with a free hand thereby encouraging the
evolution of an original vision, reflecting the intuition and expression of the
students. This institute which gave shape
to the culture-specific modernism initiated by Rabindranath Tagore and carried
forward by the commitment and wisdom of Nandalal Bose, Benodebehari
Mukhopadhyay, Ramkinkar Baij and their contemporaries, has richly contributed
in giving a valid direction to individual art activity in contemporary social
space.
Let
us discuss some facets of Gurudev’s art especially his self-portraits,
symbolisms, landscapes, style, use of colours etc.
SELF PORTRAITS
Some self-portraits by Gurudev
His self-portraits are spot-on exemplifications of his style. According to the scholars his self-portraits mirror a subterranean psychological need - that of a creative person always in search of self. Tagore uses intense colours to enchant his viewers with portraits that convey a sense of mystery. Many of his self-portraits done in pencil and crayon depict the full face of the bearded artist. The unworked background and the enhanced contour push the figure out from the ground. The flatness of the figure is enhanced by the lack of colour and the use of rough pencil lines. About his self-portraits, Dr Pranabranjan Ray writes this:-
“The gaze of Rabindranath in his self-portrait, which Rabindranath the artist visualizes is aimed at satirizing obtuseness even though
he is portrayed as someone anxious,
doubtful and wary. In other words, his self-portrait is the manifestation of
his introspection. The formation of the eyes, nose and lips portrays the
manifestation of his being. The opening and closing of the eyelids, the
position of the pupils, the light reflecting on the pupils, the direction of
the gaze, the depth of vision, the expansion and contraction of the nostrils
and lips, the parting and the pressing of lips, the point of observation and
the mental state affected thereby – all these symbolize a manifestation which
brings to the observer Rabindranath’s the then mental condition which can be
apprehended through the senses.
Rabindranath would hardly be
considered a Modernist artist should the eyes, nose and the formation of the
lips along with their proportions, positions and postures have been the source
or manifestation of his art. The facial expressions may have been influenced to
a great extent, by the classical dance forms of India. Unless we have a fair
idea of the postural bearing present in the structure of the painting, we would not
have been able to comprehend the representation of modernity in Rabindranath as
a painter.”
SYMBOLISM IN GURUDEV’S ART
Gurudev’s
canvas seems to come alive with vivid hues, each stroke telling a story of its
own. In his paintings, he touches on themes such as the interplay between humanity
and nature, the profoundness of human emotions, and the transcendence of
cultural boundaries. A look at his work makes one
believe in Gurudev’s interest in colours, seasons, human emotions and mysticism.
Silence is the foremost refrain in his paintings. His paintings had a strange surrealism
and bizarre emotions. Tagore’s fascination with nature is conspicuously
displayed in the painting. Plush landscapes, blossoming flowers, and serene
rivers arouse a sense of harmony between man and the environment. This veneration
for nature was a frequent theme in his creative work, emphasizing his belief in
the interconnectedness of all living beings.
ELEMENTS OF SADNESS IN GURUDEV’S
ART
Tagore’s
art in general is saturated with sorrow. His mother passed away when he was a
boy, and his life was marked by continued personal tragedy. He was plagued with
grief after the suicide of his childhood playmate, sister-in-law and literary
companion, Kadambari Devi, and the years between 1902 and 1907, saw the deaths
of his wife, daughter and youngest son. All these happenings major played role
in shaping the course, content and style of his creativity. Add to that he was
disappointed at what was happening in his country under colonial rule.
HUMAN FORM, MASKS AND FACES
The
human face is a visible constant in Tagore’s work. Gurudev’s fascination with
the human body is also evident in his work. He painted it as variously
postured: sitting, standing, squatting, walking, dancing, in groups and in
solitude, and in multidimensional moods. In all his artistic oeuvre, be it
faces, full figures or landscapes, he is aware of the importance of the rhythm
lines, even fascinated by cross-hatchings, curves, circles, cones, the
harshness of sharp corners, the smoothness of gentle turns and twists. Tagore’s
fascination with the unusual, the odd and conventionally un-beautiful is
expressed in his depiction of diverse masks and faces and portraits. Most of
his early illustrations of the human face belong to the category of masks, and
the later ones to what may be called portraits and characters. Through his travels,
Tagore was exposed to other cultures, the theatre, masked dances and
ritualistic performances of Japan, Indonesia, and Bali. Tagore’s interest in
human beings, and variations of character traits, led to his fascinating range of
faces in portrait-like sketches and paintings. Faces that smile, grimace,
express sorrow, fear, anger. Faces that inhabit a fantasy world of humour, wit
and dreams. There were also pencil sketches done as illustrations to the texts that
show his command over anatomy and technique.
LANDSCAPES
Tagore’s
landscapes are noted for their architectonic spatial solidity. They are marked
by an almost geometrical flatness — a monotony that is sometimes broken by
adventure into perspectival depth. Painted as they were with the simple media
of coloured ink on paper, there was not much scope for experimenting with tonal
modulation. But strangely enough, in some paintings, one can see attempts at
mixing different hues. In most landscapes, nature exists in solitary grandeur,
its primaeval infinity untampered by human mediation. But there are paintings in
which it serves as a backdrop to humanity. Most of the landscapes he painted showed nature bathed in the evening light, skies and forms coagulating into ominous silhouettes. His landscapes invoke mystery and a sense of disquiet and silence.
One
finds that in the last phase of his life, Tagore, through the visual arts, was
entering a new world of form, colour and line, discovering a new identity perhaps more universal in language than the literary realm of narrative and
more specific cultural references.
WOMEN IN TAGORE’S WORK
Tagore’s
unconventional style and the free-thinking nature of his art are perhaps most marked
in his paintings of women. The women of his canvas are of a wide variety: some pensive,
some bold, some turn away from the world, some asexual, and others adore male
company. They don’t represent youthfulness or beauty. Some look wrinkled and scorched.
Tagore’s
women mark a U-turn from the theorized Mother
India figure of India’s great nationalistic era; the concept of Bharat Mata or woman-as-nation, as
visualized by Abanindranath. Tagore does not paint such Devis or goddesses. Nor
does he paint apsaras or Nartakis. Tagore’s women are un-placed, un-mapped and
of varied complexions. He moves them away from the pedestal of the mother goddess as he does not
intend to treat women as something that has utility. He has his own concept
about women that he brings to his art. They emerge as individuals demanding
serious attention. Possibly they are gazers staring at the viewer. No more are
these women objects of the male gaze. There is an undefined sorrow that peeps out
in each painting depicting a woman. Never were these women painted to depict
their helplessness. That is his quality, style and hallmark of his work.
.” Tagore
was prolific in his paintings and sketches and produced over 2500 of these
within a decade. It is evident that in his search for a newer form of expression
in line and colour, he tried to express something different from what he did in
his poetry and songs. Tagore’s legacy as a painter is often overshadowed by his
more widely recognized accomplishments in literature and music. However, his
artistry remains an essential part of his creative legacy. His art serves as a
bridge between his diverse talents, showcasing his ability to convey his
thoughts and emotions through various artistic mediums. Beyond the aesthetic appeal, his paintings
hold immense cultural significance. Tagore’s role in India’s cultural and
intellectual awakening during the late 19th and early 20th centuries remains unparalleled.
As an artist, he was influential in
challenging old-fashioned standards and nurturing a sense of pride in India’s
heritage. His art played an unforgettable role in the new sense of nationalism,
artistic renaissance, and a longing for self-expression.
(
Avtar Mota )
Bibliographical Notes
(1)
Rabindra Chitravali, Paintings by Rabindranath Tagore, published by Paratikshan in association with
Visva-Bharati & the Ministry of Culture, Government of India, 2011.
(2
Rabindranath Tagore, ‘Woman’, Personality, Macmillan Pocket Edition, New Delhi,
1980, 174.
(3)
Dr Ratan Parimoo, The paintings of the three great Tagores: Abanindranath
Tagore, Gaganendranath Tagore and Rabindranath Tagore. Chronology and Comparative Studies, 1973
(4)
Drawings and Paintings of Rabindranath Tagore: Centenary 1861-1961, New Delhi,
Lalit Kala Akademi, 1961
(5)
Rabindranath Tagore: His World of Art..by Supriya Roy and Sushobhan Adhikary
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